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Learn what clinical psychologists do, how they help individuals with mental health issues, and what types of clinical psychologists exist. Find out the education, skills, and work environment of this profession.
- Overview
- The Clinical Psychologist's Role
- Clinical Psychologist Certification
- Specific Skills for Clinical Psychologists
- Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist
- Should You See a Clinical Psychologist or a Psychiatrist?
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A clinical psychologist is a mental health professional with highly specialized training in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional illnesses. Clinical psychologists are not technically medical doctors, but still typically follow an educational path that requires many years of study, often resulting in a doctorate degree.
Clinical psychologists are not legally able to prescribe medications to treat mental illness, except in a handful of states where they do have that authority. Rather, they use psychological techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoanalytic therapy.
Clinical psychologists must usually complete a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in clinical psychology before being able to see patients and use these techniques. This differentiates a clinical psychologist from other professions—such as a licensed social worker or therapist—that use similar approaches to treat mental illness. However, in some states and provinces, a master’s degree is sufficient. In most states and provinces, the professional activities of clinical psychologists are regulated by a licensing board and/or professional college.
While board certification is not required to practice clinical psychology, The American Board of Clinical Psychology (ABCP) offers board certification for clinical psychologists, which includes basic competencies for practicing, teaching, or conducting research. These competencies include:
•Being aware of ethical and legal principles and employing them effectively
•Building effective relationships with others, including clients, fellow practitioners, and the public
•Continually practicing self-evaluation and always striving to improve treatment methods
•Being fair, respectful, a clear communicator, and able to handle potentially difficult situations with understanding and diplomacy
•Keeping up with the latest research and identifying how it can improve clinical practice
Clinical psychologists have a whole host of specific skills that they employ in their work, including:
•Performing research and collecting data to enhance the understanding of clinical psychology
•Consulting with a variety of other behavioral and health professionals and organizations about violence, suicide, and severe mental distress
•Possessing extensive knowledge of mental illness and how to diagnose and treat it
The biggest difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD) who can prescribe medications, while most psychologists are not medical doctors and typically cannot prescribe medication.
While psychologists may also have a doctorate, it is not a medical degree. Psychiatrists go through a year of medical internship followed by three years of residency in treating and diagnosing mental illnesses. Psychologists usually do one to two years of internship after completing their degrees.
One major difference between the two approaches is that while a psychologist will typically look at your behavior, a psychiatrist is more likely to look first at the biological factors behind your mental health problems.
Whether you pick a psychologist or a psychiatrist may depend on several factors. Some psychiatrists only prescribe medication and do not do psychotherapy, so you may choose to see both a psychiatrist and a psychologist to get both medication and therapy. Many psychiatrists do both, however. A directory may be able to help you find what you're looking for.
Your regular healthcare provider may be able to help you make this decision. Depending on what you're dealing with, however, the recommended course of treatment may include both medication and talk therapy.
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1.American Board of Professional Psychology. Competency Requirements - Foundational & Functional.
- Owen Kelly, Phd
A psychologist has a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) and often has extensive training in psychological research or clinical practice. What does a psychologist do? Psychologists help a wide variety of people and can treat many kinds of behavioral and mental health issues. They can also help with life and relationship issues.
Learn about the scope, problems, skills, and populations of clinical psychology, a specialty that provides comprehensive mental and behavioral health care. Find out how clinical psychologists conduct assessment, intervention, consultation, and research across the lifespan and diversities.
Sep 14, 2023 · According to the Canadian Psychological Association, clinical psychology is the field of practice that addresses human functioning. This field within psychology focuses on understanding, diagnosing and treating mental health issues, emotional distress and behavioural disorders. This may include looking at human problems and their solution, and ...
Job duties. Here are some of the main activities and tasks that Psychologists have to perform, and some of the physical demands they involve: Examine and assess behaviour, diagnose behavioural, emotional and cognitive disorders, counsel clients and provide therapy. Help clients manage physical illness and disorders.
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Apr 3, 2024 · Learn what Clinical Psychologists do, from assessment and diagnosis to treatment and research. Explore the education and training requirements, specializations, and licensing for this career.
